


Contractual Obligations

by ami_ven



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Community: mcsheplets, M/M, Stargate: Continuum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-07
Updated: 2014-06-07
Packaged: 2018-02-03 18:13:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1753873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ami_ven/pseuds/ami_ven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“We’ve got to get out of here.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Contractual Obligations

**Author's Note:**

> written for LJ community "mcsheplets" prompt #177 "contract"

There were spaceships in the sky— actual, hostile _alien_ spaceships— and Rodney was about three seconds away from the kind of overwhelming panic attack he hadn’t had since before his first PhD, when firm hands grabbed his shoulders.

“Breathe, McKay,” a sharp voice ordered, and he did, drawing in deep, long breaths until he could focus on the person in front of him.

“Major?” he said.

“You okay?” John asked, slowly letting go of him.

Rodney blinked, then swallowed hard and nodded. “No. But I’m not going to pass out.”

“I’ll take what I can get,” said John. “We’ve got to get out of here.”

There were images on every channel, not just the news stations but all of them, of the giant spikey ships looming over their cities, the smaller and nimbler ones like fighter jets zooming ominously overhead. Out of the huge picture window of his fifty-ninth story office, Rodney could see them in person.

“And go where?” he asked, faintly.

“Out of the city,” said John. “I know you don’t have my extensive background in military tactics, but you’ve got to have seen a few alien invasion movies. _Independence Day, War of the Worlds, Back to the Future_ …”

Rodney frowned. “There weren’t any aliens in _Back to the Future_.”

“Just seeing if you were paying attention,” said John, with what was almost a smile.

“But…” Rodney said.

“We’ve got to get out of here,” John repeated. “Human or alien, nobody brings that kind of firepower to an engagement if they don’t intend to use it. Didn’t you notice the way they’ve positioned those big ships. They could level this city in minutes. Seconds, maybe.”

Rodney hadn’t noticed. He’d been too busy panicking.

Outside, two of the smaller alien spaceships rocketed past, rattling the windows.

“Right, we should leave,” he said. “Yes, major, we should…”

For all that Rodney used John’s rank more often than his name, for all that John wore his uniform to the office every day, Rodney sometimes forgot that John was still a _soldier_ , a pilot and a damned good one, if his records before that ridiculous ‘black mark’ were any indication.

Rodney took a deep breath. “Look,” he said, sounding much more calm than he felt. “Look, major, I’m not without my resources. I’m sure I can get out of the city before… well, before, and you can get on with your job.”

“My job is you,” said John, almost automatically, and Rodney felt suddenly cold.

He’d heard those exact words at least once a week for the past five years. Officially, Major John Sheppard was the liaison between the United States military and McKay Enterprises, with a slightly less official role of bodyguard after that nasty incident with the NID. But unofficially, John had become something more like a personal assistant, except that instead of scheduling his appointments and holding his calls, John checked his math equations and dragged him out of the lab when he’d been working too long.

And every time Rodney had protested that _didn’t he have a job to do?_ John had just grinned and said, “My job is you.”

“Seriously, Sheppard,” said Rodney, now. “There are probably emergency protocols in place, or something, and you’ll be recalled to a new assignment.”

John snorted. “There won’t be a new assignment, McKay. I know you hacked my record the moment I got sent here, so you know all about what I did in Afghanistan. It was this job, or a discharge. I was five minutes away from being transferred to Antarctica when you annoyed the last guy they’d sent as liaison into resigning.”

“Oh,” said Rodney, and the sudden jolt of disappointment was nearly enough to make him forget about the alien invasion. He’d known that John had been assigned to work for him— known it was probably meant as a punishment, for both of them— but John had _stayed_ , almost five whole years, which was a longer relationship than he’d ever had, with anyone. He’d thought, after all this time, that John liked his job, liked _him_. He’d thought they were friends.

“Oh,” Rodney said again. “But that’s… Maybe you should go anyway. Just because the Air Force won’t send for you doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t need you. And really, given the circumstances, I can hardly expect to hold you to the terms of your contract—”

“Screw my contract!” John shouted. “Do you really think that’s why I’m here, McKay? Yes, I got assigned to this job, but I _stayed_ , Rodney, I stayed because of you. Because you’re brilliant and funny, and I…”

“You like me,” Rodney breathed.

That sounded stupid the moment he’d said it, but John huffed out a laugh. “It’s a little more than ‘like’ at this point,” he said, softly. “So, unless you tell me right now that you never want to see me again—”

“What? Of course not! Sheppard— _John_ —”

The entire building rocked with the force of an explosion, and John grabbed Rodney’s arm. “Come on. I know you keep a packed bag here, and we can—”

“Wait,” said Rodney. 

When John turned to look at him, he slid a hand into the major’s hair and pulled him in for a kiss. John stiffened for a fraction of a second before kissing him back, arms tight around Rodney’s waist like he never planned on letting go.

Any other time, Rodney would have been completely on board with that, but another explosion hit, feeling closer than the last.

“If we survive this,” Rodney said, when they had regained their balance, still holding on to each other. “We should renegotiate our contract.”

“ _McKay_ ,” John growled, trying to pull away, but Rodney kissed him again.

“That is,” he continued, “if there’s still a government to issue marriage licenses.”

John grinned and kissed him hard. “ _Yes_ ,” he said, fervently. “Hell, yes. But first, we’ve got to get out of here.”

He held out his hand, and Rodney took it. “Let’s go.”

THE END


End file.
